I am not quite sure what to say about this one. I enjoyed it, like I did her other short story/novella, [b:Home to Pebble Creek|18403935|Home to Pebble Creek|Vannetta Chapman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378049023s/18403935.jpg|26037667], but it wasn't a favorite like Home To Pebble Creek.

I realized though that this book is set in today's world & not in the past. Which is fine, but it took me back just a little bit. I guess if I had read her other books, I may have known that. :-)

It was a quick and easy read. I am still considering trying at least one of her other books, but I have so many others that I want to get to. These little books were great because I needed a really light read and something outside my normal little box. It's usually hard for me to get into many Christian books, but so far, I like her writing and she makes it easy to read. (Yes, I am a Believer, it's just hard to get into many Christian books because so many are drawn out for me and slow, among other things, not horrible, just so many aren't writing styles I like)

If you have never read a book of hers, like Amish stories(Historical or Present), and want to try out her writing style without committing to a long story, her short stories are a great start.


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A sweet Amish Christmas short-story celebrating the joy of the season, and how one girl's life changes in a way she never expected. A super-quick engaging little holiday read. ( )

A very quick little Christmas story. I suspect this is just a taste of what the series is about. A good way to start my Christmas themed reading for the month. ( )

Though the title indicates Christmas, I fail to recall much about Christmas in this short story, other than that the teacher whom Grace assists decides to visit family over the holiday.

I enjoyed the brief visit to Pebble Creek. This is the first book I've read by this author, though I have read Amish fiction by other authors. I liked the author's style though this short story doesn't have huge conflict. The conflict mostly stems from Grace deciding what her calling is and making sure it is okay with her father, Adam and the bishop. ( )

One of the things I have noticed about these books is how easy it is to overlook any negatives. The wonder and joy of the stories easily outweigh any grief or heartbreak we see.

I realized when I looked back at the reviews I have written about the novels in this series that I glossed right over the grief that is as much a part of these novels as the joy. I didn’t do it on purpose. It’s just one of those things that a person does – it’s something I do anyway…

From the heartbreak that opens the first novel to the worry over loved ones that unfolds in each story to the losses we experience with and through the characters, these stories show us that the good in life is tempered with bad.

I think at least a part of the reason for this is that we must have some bad to truly appreciate any good. If there was never a reason to worry about our loved ones, could we really appreciate them the way we need to?

God, in his magnificence, knows this about us. He designed us this way and he has a reason. Sometimes his ways are hard to understand but they are the best way. It just isn’t always easy to see it in the beginning. Many times it is in retrospect that we see the beauty of God’s plans!

I think Vannetta’s novels show this beautifully. She doesn’t dangle a character in front of us, letting us become attached to them and then yank them away. She makes them beloved in a different way, a normal way and then either shows us their loss and grief or shows us others grieving for them.

This is a free eBook/ Novella that Vannetta Chapman offers to go along with her Pebble Creek Amish series! It’s definitely worth reading, free or not! So don’t miss it!

There is another freebie eBook/Novella that goes along with the series too: “Home to Pebble Creek” and you shouldn’t miss it either! ( )